# Web Augustine

> Web Augustine is the founder and CEO of HiWire, a Menlo Park outfit that runs high-end executive search and fundraising help for early-stage startups at entrepreneur-friendly terms. A Stanford-trained mechanical engineer turned marketer, he was the first product manager on HP's DeskJet inkjet line, Sun Microsystems' employee 152, and the founding VP of marketing who helped spin VeriSign out as a standalone company in 1995. Four decades in, he splits his time between recruiting CEOs and VPs for founders, advising on pitch decks and financial forecasts, and writing books - including a 2020 political satire and a 1,400-entry quotations collection.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at HiWire
- **Organizations:** HiWire, Equity Search Partners, Strategic Web Ventures, VeriSign, DigiCash, Sun Microsystems, Hewlett-Packard
- **From:** Seattle, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** B.S., Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University
- **Known for:** Founding VP of Marketing and Business Development at VeriSign, helping spin it out and raise a $5.3M Series A in 1995., First product manager on the HP inkjet program that became the DeskJet franchise., Sun Microsystems employee 152; ran product for the Sun-2 and Sun-3 workstation families.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Joined a startup division of Hewlett-Packard in Vancouver, WA; became the first product manager on the inkjet line that grew into the DeskJet family.
- **1983** — Joined Sun Microsystems as employee 152 and the second hardware-oriented product manager; later Product Line Manager for the Sun-2 and Sun-3 workstation families.
- **1995** — Co-wrote the business plan and led the spin-off of VeriSign as a standalone company, raising a $5.3M Series A from Visa, Intel, Mitsubishi and Bessemer Venture Partners; served as founding VP of Marketing and Business Development.
- **1996** — Acting VP of Marketing and Business Development at DigiCash for eight months; wrote the business plan.
- **1997** — Founded Strategic Web Ventures, a strategic marketing consulting firm offering interim management and fundraising assistance to emerging Silicon Valley companies (through 2005).
- **2006** — Founded HiWire to provide high-quality retained executive search to early-stage companies at entrepreneur-friendly fees and terms.
- **2011** — Published 'Inspiring Quotations of Our Times,' a collection of roughly 1,400 quotations on life, success and character.
- **2015** — Restarted HiWire with a broader range of recruiting, sourcing, business and product planning, and fundraising services for startups.
- **2020** — Published the political satire 'Make Our Country YUUUGE Again' through Bublish.

## Achievements

- Founding VP of Marketing and Business Development at VeriSign, helping spin it out and raise a $5.3M Series A in 1995.
- First product manager on the HP inkjet program that became the DeskJet franchise.
- Sun Microsystems employee 152; ran product for the Sun-2 and Sun-3 workstation families.
- Built HiWire into a boutique that brings retained-search quality to early-stage founders.
- Published author of two books across two very different genres.

## Latest updates

- **2020-09** — Released the political satire novel 'Make Our Country YUUUGE Again' through Bublish.

## Links

- Website: https://hiwire.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/webaugustine/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/web-augustine
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-04